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Monday, September 20, 2010

I Am Finished!

I Am Finished!

I am finished with Revision Three of Steam Palace! And no, I don’t know what John McCain is so happy about it, especially since I didn’t vote for him and he lost, but there he is, giving me the big thumbs-up. I guess he’s finished too. :)

Lots of interesting things happened along the way. After Revision Two, my manuscript was at 117K words. I made some brutal cuts, shaving it down to ~97K, really close to my target of 95K. Guess what? After 2+ months of revision, it’s right back to117K. WTF? Well, many of those cut scenes contained critical information, so that information returned into other scenes. I’ve done some calculations, and to get back to 95K, I’d have to cut 140 words from every scene (1/2 page). That doesn’t sound like much, but there are 98 scenes. Or by chapter, it’s 1,400 words per chapter (5.5 pages). I don’t think I can cut 20% of the book at this point without spending many more months at it.

So what’s my plan from here? Work on a marketing plan, figure out my target agents/houses, and Sell, Sell, Sell!

My query letter will go up on query critique sites, here too if you want to take a look. At the same time, I am plotting out Steam Palace II. I have tons of ideas rattling around my head.

On Nov. 1, I put all this aside and write Steam Palace II for NaNoWriMo. Will having two of a series help me sell? Who knows? Time is running short.

Congratulations! Doesn't it feel great. Now take a break before looking at it again.

It's a good plan to work on pinning down your agent list. Also, you may find that after Nano you can go through one more revision easier.

Last year I wrote a second book for my world of Sendek. The clarity that I gained while exploring its history helped when I returned to revise the novel that counts. (And gave me lots of stuff for a collection of short stories from Sendek.)

You always have the best plans :) cutting 20 percent of the novel really doesn't sound like a viable option. You know, an agent or editor somewhere will make those desicions and tell you to either or add or subtract.

Wow! How scientific of you...I'm beginning to see the inner steam punk genius coming through. Good luck with your next installment. Can't wait for more excerpts...what DID they do with that guy's body???